Ferrari's Fernando Alonso insists he is in better form this year than he was 12 months ago and says all he needs to mount a successful title bid is a car within striking distance of his rivals.

Despite being 1.6 second off the pace in qualifying at the start of last year, Alonso managed to come within three points of the drivers' title by the end of the season. He thinks he is in even better form this time round and says all he needs is a car capable of getting in the mix.

"I am better than last year, but also it is true that I need a better car than last year because we were too far from the leaders," he said on Sky Sports News. "I expect the team to have a better car, but me and Felipe [Massa] do not ask to be half a second in front of everybody - two tenths behind everyone will be all right."

He said he is more motivated this year after Ferrari's stronger showing in pre-season testing.

"Always you can improve and I am ready to do so," he added. "Last year was the best year of my career and I was very happy with the performance but I think we will do better because I have prepared better and I am more motivated than last year."